Knitting-machine needle and method of making same



' F. w. COREY. NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN LE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII v.'6,192o. 1A25 239. Patented Aug. 8, 1922',

as I point and form UNE IED STATES FRED W. COREY, OF TILTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

KNITTING-MACHINE NEEDLE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

amazes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

Application filed November 6, 1920. Serial No. 422,175.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED 3N. COREY, a' citizen of the United States, residing at Tilton, county of Belknap, State of New Hampshire, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Knittin -Machine Needles and Methods of Making dame, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to an improvement in knitting machine needles and process of making same.

In the manufacture of latch needles for use in knitting machines heretofore when made by machinery, several distinct operations are required. One object of the present invention is to reduce the number of operations required to prepare the body of the needle ready for the formation of the slot to receive the latch. Another object of the invention is to reduce the size of the forward portion of the blank from a point somewhat back of the cheek portion to the end of the hook portion by a compression so as to densify and strengthen that portion of the needle rather than by either cutting down the blank or by drawingitout, or by swaging in the ordinary way, in which the surplus stock is entirely pressed out to one side instead of being compressed to a more dense formation as by my'invention. Another object of the invention is to obtain an absolute uniformity in the size and shape of the needle by performing all of the swaging operation at one time rather than by different operations.

In the usual manufacture of latch needles, the blank consists of a round wire which is put through several separate distinct operations to reduce the size of the wire at the forward portion of the blank within which the cheeks and the hook are later to be formed, to swage the cheek portions, to form the cheeks, to taper the tip portion, to turn the forward end to form the hook, to form the pivot holes in the cheeks, and to make the slot between the cheeks. All these separate operations are performed before the needle is ready to receive the latch.

By my method of needle ready for the latch, I start with a flat blank of uniform thickness and by a single operation swage the forward part of the blank to reduce the thickness of that portion to the size desired for the hook, and the hook and the point, and

forming the body .of the,

prick tapered holes in the cheek portion. I accomplish the above by means of a pair of dies of special'form. If the needle is to be a latch needle, the formation of the slot and the attachment of the latch are accomplished by subsequent separate operations.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claim at the close of this specification.

The drawings are all on an exaggerated scale tomore clearly illustrate the invention.

In the drawings, Fig.1 is a plan view of a latch needle of the character produced by my invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the body of the needle shown in Figure 1. v

Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe blank from which the body of the needle is formed.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the blank.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of a pair of dies embodying the invention.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the dies shown in Fig. 5.

Fig.

Fig.

7 is a sectlon on line 7-7 of Fig. 6. 8 is a section on line 8--8 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the body of the needle as it is made by the dies before-the slot for the cheeks is formed.

Fig. 10 is an edge view of the needle body shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a section on line 11--11 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a form of needle in which the back of the reduced forward portion of the needle is set back on a line with the main body portion.

Referring now to the drawings, the finished needle as shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a blade or body portion 1, a cheek portion having a slot 3, whereby the two cheeks 2-2 are formed, a hook portion 1 bent at its forward end and terminating in a reversely turned portion 5, and a latch 6 pivoted by a pin 7 between the two cheek members 22. From a point I) somewhat back of the hook portion to the point 0 where the tip of the hook begins to taper, the needle is usually of uniformly less diameter than the butt end of the needle from the point b back to the rear end.

A part of my invention consists of providing a pair of dies A-B, between which the entire needle portion, with the exception of the slot for the latch, is formed, and by which at a single swaging operation the neodle is shaped, the forward part is reduced in diameter, the point is formed and holes are punched to form countersinks for the pivot hole which is later to be drilled out forthe latchpivot. The two dies are exact counterparts of each 0t is right and the other is left.

' Each die plate 8 as shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8, has a depression 9 sunk therein to exactly half of the thickness of the'needle which is to be formed and of the contour of the needle in planview. 1 I

The hook portion of the needle from b to 0 is of slightly less diameter than the thickness of the body portion 1, as shown in Figure 2, and the outer end 5 of the hook portion from the point 0 to the end is tapered to form a point. In order to form the hook portion 4: of lesser diameter,.as already described, with its tapered outer end 5, the die recess 9 is made of corresponding shape, being of less depth from the point Z) to the outer end of the tip than the part which forms the body portion from the butt end to b, as shown inFigu're 7. If the hook from b to 0 is to be of uniformly less diameter thanthe body of the needle, thenthe recess in the die from I to 0 will be also of uniformly less depth than the depth of'the rear portion of the recess, and the recess from the point a to the tip end will have converging walls both at the bottom' and sides, 10, as shown in Figure 6. p

In order to formin each side of the cheek portions of the needle counter-sunkholes 15 forthe location of the pivot holes and for the heading over of the pivot pin 7 of the latch, there is formed in each die a conical pointed projection 11. Preferably the die plate 8 is beveled off at the sides and ends, asshown at 12, so as tov form sharp ci'itting edges 18 at the side edges of the depression ofthedie.

The blank 14 from which the needle is made is preferably shaped something as shown in Figure 8, the forward end portion a of the blank being made flaring ,so-as to give sufficient width forthe hook portion-of the needle, the rearward portion being of less width so as to avoid unnecessary waste of stock; The blank 14: is preferably of uniform thickness throughout as shown in Figure 4, being equal at least to the thickest I part of the needle to be formed, so that the forward'portion of the blank-out of which the hook is formed is thicker thanthe hook and pointed portion of the finished needle.

The, upper and lower die plates are mounted in any suitable power press, r v f The blankis placed on the lower die plate B in a proper position over the die depression, and the" upper die A is then forced down upon the lower die in any welhknown manner of operat ng a p r p er, except. that one.

When the dies are brought together, the

blank'will be cut by the edges 13 thereof to thecontour of the needle, as shown in plan view, and the portion which forms the hook end will be compressed in accordance with the depression; that is, thehook por; tion of the dies being ofless depththan the body portion a'nd'the blank being of uniform thickness throughout, the hook portion of the needle will not only be died out to the proper contour but will also be compressed. This compression will vbe greatest at the pointed end of the needle because thedi'e depressions are more shallow at that part; At the same time also-the conical points ll inthe two'dies will pricktheconical depression '15 into the two cheek faces of the blank. i I I I 1 By the above'method of forming'the needle, there is performed at one operation'the g5 shaping of theblank which has'heretofo're been performed by several operations, and the hook is formed without bending the Wire but by dieing it out of theblank, and furthermore the metal is compressediat the hook portion, thereby making'it much denser and therefore much stronger and more durable.

For instance if the blade of the finished .needle is to be'19/1000 thick in its thickest portionfrom the rear end to b, and the forward portion in front of the cheeks is to be reduced to 15/1000 and. still further reduced by tapering at the'hook end, then I start with a blank 19/1000 thick throughout its entire length, In thatcase the recess in 0 each die at -its deepestpart is sag 1000 deep vand in the forward part'from I; too it is 73/1000, with a lesser depth at the point from c to the end, so that when the two dies are brought togetherjthe depthof the combinedrecesses is 19/1000 at its deepest portion and the portion-which is of lesser depth is 15/1000 withstill less depthat the point. Now when the blank is placed in position and the dies are forced together, the portion of the needle which is tobe 19/1000 thick I will be died out to proper contour in width, while the portionwhich is to be of less thickness will not only be died out to the requisite contour in width but will also'be compressed, the compression being the greatest where the needle is the thinnest, namely at the pointed end.

After the needle body is thus far formed, the slot 3 will be made by a separatebperation, in wellknown manner, and the conical pivot holes 15 will be drilled out for the pivot for the latch, the flaring outer portions of thepivot holes allowin forthe heading over of the pivot; By reason of the countersunk pivot holes being formed by the points 11 of the die, there is an assurance that they will. always be accurately located the back of the needle straight from the rear end to the beginning of the turn of the hook, as shown in Figure 12, instead of having the offset 16 as shown in Figure 9, the die depression will also have a straight back wall 17 as shown in Figure 12, so that the straight edge will be formed at the same time the blank is died out. In the ordinary method of constructing needles where the wire is drawn out and made of different diameters in different parts of its length, the needle is first made with the offset and then if it is desired to have a straight back the needle has to go through another operation to straighten the back.

By my method of forming the needle there is not only obtained the advantage of compression of the metal in forming the reduced portion of the needle and of lessening the number ofseparate operations, but also there is ensured an exact uniformity in the product.

While I have described and illustrated the invention as applied to a latch needle, it is obvious that it is equally applicable to the manufacture of others.

What I claim is 1- The method of forming a knitting needle consisting of dieing out the needle from a blank and at the same operation swaging the pointed portion of the needle to make it more dense than the remainder of the needle.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRED W. COREY. 

